Gaurav Gupta FW23/24 during Paris Couture Week

Gaurav Gupta Fall Winter 2023/24 Haute Couture collection during Paris Couture Week.

Hiranyagarbha

Where did creation emerge from? The universe and all that it holds, where did it all begin? Fascinated by this question I found myself struck by wonderment for the concept of Hiranyagarbha.

The Vedas, one of the most ancient Indian scriptures sing of Hiranyagarbha Hiranya translates as golden and garbha, the womb.

All of creation is thought to have emerged from this primal golden womb through which everything and therefore nothing, arose.

It is in the pristine nothingness where all possibilities of metamorphosis swim, this collection takes birth. It floats through the cosmic cycle of elements from where amoeba to gods to humans come into being and in time are absorbed back into the supreme reality, the Brahman.

The starkness of the first light is imagined in the absolute whites submerged in lustrous, iridescent pearls. A reminder of the blank canvas, eager to begin.

And when life truly bursts forth, it's with unstoppable fluorescence. A dance of light and resilience just like the chrysalis burning to bloom.

The blooming is reflected in the seed olive that branches out to entwine around the golden egg. It also represents the universal olive bark around which light wraps itself.

Malachite shows the sheer power of life to spring from everywhere and a magical stone that connects and heals the whole universe as we move along.

Overflowing taffetas, chiffon, multitudes of glass bugle beads, crystals piled with traditional Indian embroidery techniques like zardozi, nakshi and dabka - all a joyous tribute to growth and the resilience of being alive.

This collection is a journey from birth, transformation, realisation, and eventual harmony with the cosmos. It is a peek into the golden womb, inviting us to embrace the stark light within.

Runway looks

24Fashion TV Gaurav Gupta FW23 001 1688738627 jpg